Winnie's questions about Buddhism
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AEN - but how do you know if he is able to help you elevate suffering? isnt this the fundamental objective? charity everyone can do, you can have a charitable heart and still feel like shit unless you transform your 3 poisons.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:I do agree very much there should not be discrimination. But when it comes to dharma, it is only right that we learn from someone of greater wisdom. We can learn from others, but those who are liberated are truly the ones who can help others along the way because they speak from personal insights and experience.
Secondly of course I will support Ven Shi Ming Yi... even if he's Pastor Shi Ming Yi or Priest Shi Ming Yi from other religions, I'll still support. Charity is universal. -
Yes charity without transforming himself is not enough and is merely cultivating form of worldly blessing. One must transform himself, his 3 poisons, and practise the 6 paramitas and the 4 immeasurables. In this way we are cultivating true merits and true compassion.Originally posted by Xprobe:AEN - but how do you know if he is able to help you elevate suffering? isnt this the fundamental objective? charity everyone can do, you can have a charitable heart and still feel like shit unless you transform your 3 poisons.
Next after transforming one's inner mind state, which is to say eradicating all unwholesome habits and sentient thoughts through mindfulness, one must practise compassion. It is not superficial compassion or pity... My taiwanese teacher tells us often how to completely live your life for all sentient beings... as a form of Bodhicitta. My master instructed him to practise the four immeasurables, so he emphasize a lot for his practise. One who completely lives his life for others, out of compassion for other beings, he has no concern for himself. My taiwanese teacher encountered a lot of difficulties in life before... many many difficulties such as almost losing his business and entering bankruptcy, ppl trying to obstruct his dharma path, dying 4 times and undergo near death experiences but later revived (in all cases the doctors didnt think he had a chance) and being saved by Guan Yin once... he is completely unaffected. Even during his 'dying moments' he has little concern about his death... he puts all his attention in giving dharma talk to the students beside him. Imagine if you were to practise this.. the Bodhisattva way... how can any worldly and personal problems concern you? Your ego story, personal sufferings and problems become very insignificant and you are no longer attached to them.. your four immeasurables really become immeasurable like the vast sky. One with true bodhicitta: how can he have the five desires of wealth, sex, food-and-drink, fame, and sleep? His whole life is lived not for the ego but for the wellbeing and happiness of all sentient beings. This is far greater than just giving a few donations to charity every year.. it is an entire transformation.
I am no where near a Bodhisattva or the capacity of a Bodhisattva... but just my 2 cents. -
I'm not sure if he cant understand my original post.. but I did write pls ask if there are anything I can further clarifyOriginally posted by Xprobe:chim is because we make it chim, we should reflect on our inabilities or just pure laziness to simplify it for others, what is the true spirit of mahayana?
I'll be more than happy. -
Good morning, AEN !Originally posted by An Eternal Now:I agree that we shouldn't discriminate venerables... but even in Sanghas, if you have a serious dharma question that needs the depth of insight of someone, they will still direct you to someone they know who has that level of insight or enlightenment.
Another thing is I'm not talking about venerables here... I'm talking about forummers who are enlightened. Like I said earlier, enlightenment is not restricted to chosen few or masters and venerables, ordinary practitioners can also get enlightened
If there is a sincere wish to ask dharma questions, perhaps those that would probably need someone with deep insights to give advise, it's best to direct them to the right persons. In fact, if we were to deny them their chance to speak to someone of greater insights so that they may get the insights themselves, I believe this is creating even worse karma.
Err, actually I'm not referring to you...
It is true different venearbles hv different level of knowlege or insights, just like there r school teachers with different qualities of teachings. No questions on that. That's why we shouldn't tell everyone who are the ones we "think" are not "up to mark". Not talking abt you lah, pls don't misunderstand; I've never seen you post anything like that before.
Just personally feels that many Buddhist are doing this all along and it shows their disrespect to the Triple Gem.
In fact, if I'm not wrong, I remember you 're the one mentioning that we shld respect all venerables and monks regardless of the Sects they belong. I was impressed and hope that all Buddhist can see your point.
It's perfectly fine that you recomment Owl the ppl whom you feel could be of help to her. Its always good to share knowledge. You hv my total support on that. -
That's right. Though we can recommend people, it's never a good thing to disparage others. Especially saying about monks in a bad way can create quite unwholesome karma.Originally posted by cycle:Good morning, AEN !
Err, actually I'm not referring to you...
It is true different venearbles hv different level of knowlege or insights, just like there r school teachers with different qualities of teachings. No questions on that. That's why we shouldn't tell everyone who are the ones we "think" are not "up to mark". Not talking abt you lah, pls don't misunderstand; I've never seen you post anything like that before.
Just personally feels that many Buddhist are doing this all along and it shows their disrespect to the Triple Gem.
In fact, if I'm not wrong, I remember you 're the one mentioning that we shld respect all venerables and monks regardless of the Sects they belong. I was impressed and hope that all Buddhist can see your point.
It's perfectly fine that you recomment Owl the ppl whom you feel could be of help to her. Its always good to share knowledge. You hv my total support on that. -
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I'll post later on how Buddhism can help one to become a better person.. for now.. gtg.
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Excellent !
As I sms AEN about my stand , I wasnt angry or what over whether PM about whos who is enlighten
and to Xprobe
The Spirit of Mahayana is Universal Equality and Compassion
Only when one works towards that , one is on the Path of the Mahayana
To Coolbluewater
there wasnt a personal attack or what
I just feeling yes ,we must honour enlightened person
but we must understand as Buddhist ,what is the actual proper guideline of a attain buddhist master and who isnt
Buddha have already told us in his Bequeathed teachings
"Make the Precepts as your teacher when I passes on"
Yi Jie Wei shi
What is deviant is those people who boastin supernatural powers and certain attainment which is already deviating from the Buddhist Basic Precepts ,
be it Vinaya Precepts ,Praktimosha , Brahma Net Sutra Bodhisattva Precepts ,Yogi Bodhisattva Precepts ,or Vajrayana Samaya Vows
I will come back to my point
<>
Diamond Sutra
Anyway , I see the Sleeping Lion have awaken -
exactly my point, a teacher/ master is valuable only if he or she is able to also help his/ her disciples to elevate suffering themselves, to achieve similar attainment as he or she, only this matters, this is the capacity of a BodhisattvaOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:Yes charity without transforming himself is not enough and is merely cultivating form of worldly blessing. One must transform himself, his 3 poisons, and practise the 6 paramitas and the 4 immeasurables. In this way we are cultivating true merits and true compassion.
Next after transforming one's inner mind state, which is to say eradicating all unwholesome habits and sentient thoughts through mindfulness, one must practise compassion. It is not superficial compassion or pity... My taiwanese teacher tells us often how to completely live your life for all sentient beings... as a form of Bodhicitta. My master instructed him to practise the four immeasurables, so he emphasize a lot for his practise. One who completely lives his life for others, out of compassion for other beings, he has no concern for himself. My taiwanese teacher encountered a lot of difficulties in life before... many many difficulties such as almost losing his business and entering bankruptcy, ppl trying to obstruct his dharma path, dying 4 times and undergo near death experiences but later revived (in all cases the doctors didnt think he had a chance) and being saved by Guan Yin once... he is completely unaffected. Even during his 'dying moments' he has little concern about his death... he puts all his attention in giving dharma talk to the students beside him. Imagine if you were to practise this.. the Bodhisattva way... how can any worldly and personal problems concern you? Your ego story, personal sufferings and problems become very insignificant and you are no longer attached to them.. your four immeasurables really become immeasurable like the vast sky. One with true bodhicitta: how can he have the five desires of wealth, sex, food-and-drink, fame, and sleep? His whole life is lived not for the ego but for the wellbeing and happiness of all sentient beings. This is far greater than just giving a few donations to charity every year.. it is an entire transformation.
I am no where near a Bodhisattva or ... but just my 2 cents.
what he or she went thru in life is merely his or her karma at work and is irrelevant if this above criteria is not met, who is to say that great masters cannot be born from a life of great wealth and success? must they all have a dramatic past? -
again, this is what i meant, how does one work towards that? is one working towards that when non-practitioners find the way in which we share the dharma too "chim" to understand and thusOriginally posted by bohiruci:and to Xprobe
The Spirit of Mahayana is Universal Equality and Compassion
Only when one works towards that , one is on the Path of the Mahayana
(a) dismiss it due to incomprehension,
(b) slander it because of misunderstanding or
(c) start dwelling on the mystic instead?
Each of these reactions will result in karmas that distant them more from the path. How does this help the cultivation of universal equality and compassion? As such, are we aiding or obstructing Buddha's teaching? -
It means that everyone of us already have this " buddha nature", whole and complete. It also means enlightenment is possible for everyone. Even if there person is the meanest guy on earth, he also has a "buddha nature"Originally posted by Xprobe:"actually i wan to learn how to be a better person first"
there is no destination of a "better person" until you fully realise your buddhahood, anything short of that, when do you say "ok, thats enuff, i a better person now, lets do something else" - it never happens
bettering yourself is a continuous process, until you attained buddhahood, by then it comes so natural that you dont even show a "bettering" effort
so winnie, you have a misconception that being a better person is a different OR lesser path than aspiring to attain buddhahood, it is the same thing and the only difference is that you are selling yourself short
We can't see it cos of ignorance and other reasons. -
I think as buddhist ( i think also for anyone, despite of religion ), it is better to have the right intention and be mindful of what we are posting here.
2 cents of opinions...
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Right intention can also be wrong intention, so just post.Originally posted by Isis:I think as buddhist ( i think also for anyone, despite of religion ), it is better to have the right intention and be mindful of what we are posting here.
2 cents of opinions...
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What kind of logic is this? Like that criminals can do what they want?Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Right intention can also be wrong intention, so just post. -
Originally posted by bohiruci:
So far I am not aware of any deviant people in our forum
[b]
but we must understand as Buddhist ,what is the actual proper guideline of a attain buddhist master and who isnt
Buddha have already told us in his Bequeathed teachings
"Make the Precepts as your teacher when I passes on"
Yi Jie Wei shi
What is deviant is those people who boastin supernatural powers and certain attainment which is already deviating from the Buddhist Basic Precepts ,
be it Vinaya Precepts ,Praktimosha , Brahma Net Sutra Bodhisattva Precepts ,Yogi Bodhisattva Precepts ,or Vajrayana Samaya Vows Also regarding attainments, it is fine to reveal one's attainment depending on conditions. In fact Arhats like Dharma Dan (http://www.interactivebuddha.com/about.shtml) openly announced his attainments of Arhatship and Jhanas... Buddha also announced his attainment of Buddhahood, as well as the top disciples like Shariputra and Mogallana -- the early Arhats all have the tradition of announcing their attainments. So announcing attainment is fine as long as it is not misleading, and truly enlightened people do not boast (I've never seen anyone boasting in this forum of their attainment so that's a good sign). However, if announcing attainment can help others so that others may know who they can learn from, that's not necessarily bad. Just that in modern times, attaining enlightenment is not something people would often discuss, one of the reason is because of taboos.. however that was not the case in early Buddhism.I will come back to my point
This is relevant only for people who worships enlightened beings rather than follow their teachings, the dharma they teach. What's more important is to follow their teachings
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Diamond Sutra However to receive guidance from enlightened ones is important.Anyway , I see the Sleeping Lion have awaken
Who? -
Then no intention lor....Originally posted by An Eternal Now:What kind of logic is this? Like that criminals can do what they want?
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What you talking about? All actions have intentions behind.Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Then no intention lor.... -
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:What you talking about? All actions have intentions behind.
Do you laugh because you have the intention to be happy? Or cry because you have the intention to be sad? -
Then there is subtler intentions. The intention to continue thinking happy or sad things. Even though they may not see it.Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei: Do you laugh because you have the intention to be happy? Or cry because you have the intention to be sad? -
Or there may be nothing at all...Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Then there is subtler intentions. The intention to continue thinking happy or sad things. Even though they may not see it. -
well,
I think being mindful of the 5 poision while posting in BWB is important... The 5 poisons are Greed, ill-will/anger, envy, pride and ignorance.. pls be mindful of them.
i personally have experience negative effects due to the 5 poisions, in the forum. -_-
Don't forget that the main causes of bad karma are due to these 5 poisons. -
'nothing' intention... then u couldn't be acting on it liaoOriginally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Or there may be nothing at all...
but then u r right, good or bad depends on how one see it.
'Emptiness' is in play here. -
There are intentions to get a certain result, but sometimes the results are not as intended.. like you raise your hand forward to get something but got cut in the process... you didnt intend to get cut... but the intention to raise out the hand is still there, but not the intent to get cut. The Buddha says that the Mind is the forerunner of all states. Even suffering is linked to intention... it is a deluded intent. (See The Four Noble Truths at the second page: http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=240316&page=1)Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Or there may be nothing at all...
Neutral actions like laughing and so on may not be intended though. However it should be noted that most actions carries intentions and therefore will plant karmic seeds in our consciousness. -
Yep. Whenever we post, we should definitely check on our intentions of posting. Is my post affected by thoughts of mental defilements like the five poisons, and the ego? We have to be very mindful not to be tricked by the ego.Originally posted by Isis:well,
I think being mindful of the 5 poision while posting in BWB is important... The 5 poisons are Greed, ill-will/anger, envy, pride and ignorance.. pls be mindful of them.
i personally have experience negative effects due to the 5 poisions, in the forum. -_-
Don't forget that the main causes of bad karma are due to these 5 poisons. -
But there is a reason that u get cut, even it was not intended..? probably due to some other prior karmic reasons?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:There are intentions to get a certain result, but sometimes the results are not as intended.. like you raise your hand forward to get something but got cut in the process... you didnt intend to get cut... but the intention to raise out the hand is still there, but not the intent to get cut. The Buddha says that the Mind is the forerunner of all states. Even suffering is linked to intention... it is a deluded intent. (See The Four Noble Truths at the second page: http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=240316&page=1)
Neutral actions like laughing and so on may not be intended though. However it should be noted that most actions carries intentions and therefore will plant karmic seeds in our consciousness.
just wonder...